Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination. As president, he led the country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis-the American Civil War-preserving the Union while ending slavery and promoting economic and financial modernization. Godfrey Rathbone Benson, 1st Baron Charnwood (6 November 1864 - 3 February 1945) was a British author, academic, Liberal politician and philanthropist. Lord Charnwood was the author of many works.